The Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR) was a government-funded project created to provide technology, methods, and information to decision-makers, resource managers, and the general public to help support effective science-based management of harmful non-native species (
invasive species
An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...
) in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
and the
Pacific Rim. Created in 1997, funding ended on 31 December 2012, and its website was last updated on 17 May 2013.
One of the HEAR sub-websites, Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER), was maintained on a strictly volunteer basis for a few years, until a final update on 2 June 2018.
Origin and history
HEAR originated at the Haleakala Field Station (
Maui
Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
,
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
) of the Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center (PIERC) of the
USGS
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...
's
Biological Resources Division (formerly the National Biological Service) through the Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit (PSCU) based at the
University of Hawaii
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
Department of
Botany
Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...
.
More details
about HEAR's creation and history are available in an article published in ''Conservation In Practice''
Funding and support
As of late 2012, the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project was funded by the Hauoli Mau Loa Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service with support from th
Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit (PCSU)
of the University of Hawaii at Manoa
A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...
. Historically, HEAR had also received funding or support from the Pacific Basin Information Node (PBIN) of the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) through the Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center of USGS, the Hawaii Conservation Studies Unit (HCSU) of the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Haleakala National Park, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Partnerships
The Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR) functioned by working collaboratively as a partnership with other organizations, including:
* U.S. Forest Service
* Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit of the University of Hawaii
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
* Pacific Basin Information Node (NBII)
* Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center (USGS)
* Global Invasive Species Information Network
See also
* Invasive species in Hawaii
* Invasive species in the United States
References
{{Reflist
External links
Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project official website (www.hear.org)Pacific Island Ecosystems Research CenterUniversity of Hawaii Department of Botany
Conservation projects in the United States
University of Hawaiʻi
Environment of Hawaii